Resumen del episodio 10 de The Love Lasts Two Minds
> Resúmenes de The Love Lasts Two Minds
Jing Ci showed Xiao Han a bracelet he found, confirming it belonged to Xiaoyu. He noted the calluses on Xiaoyu's palm, indicating she was skilled with a sword. He then inquired if Yong State had any organizations that removed victims' pinky fingers after a killing, mentioning that recent victims, including Xiaoyu, had their pinkies missing.
Xiao Han, realizing that only Shadow Guardians had such a custom and suspecting a connection to them, feigned ignorance and said she had never heard of such a thing. Jing Ci instructed her to keep watch on Floral House for any clues, believing they were getting closer to the person attempting to assassinate him. Meanwhile, Mu Beiyan was enjoying a drink in the courtyard, intending to tease Yuan Qinhe, who was assigned to guard him.
He playfully ran onto the rooftop with his wine pot, prompting Yuan Qinhe to chase after him. Surprised by her agility, Mu Beiyan remarked on her martial arts skills. Yuan Qinhe clarified that a constable must know kung fu and reiterated that she was not the "Yuan Qingli" he often mentioned. Mu Beiyan then took out a pouch-like item from his clothes and examined it closely. Yuan Qinhe tried to snatch it from him, leading to a scuffle.
When she finally got hold of the pouch, she discovered it was embroidered with an erotic scene, causing her to immediately throw it off the roof. The pouch landed directly in front of Magistrate Li, who picked it up and angrily denounced it as absurd and disgraceful. As Mu Beiyan and Yuan Qinhe continued their confrontation on the rooftop, Yuan Qinhe lost her footing and began to fall. Jing Ci swiftly intervened, catching her mid-air.
Yuan Qinhe smiled sweetly at Jing Ci, grateful for his rescue. Magistrate Li continued to complain about the indecency of the pouch, but Jing Ci suggested impounding it as it might be relevant to an ongoing case. Mu Beiyan joked that Yuan Qinhe should continue guarding him, but she dismissed him, claiming she needed to feed her cat and left. Zhao Yan later reflected on the kidnapping case of Yuan Qingli, finding many unresolved questions.
He doubted whether the returned Yuan Qinhe from Qinhe was truly Yuan Qingli, noting that, apart from her appearance, she seemed like an entirely different person. He pondered how Mrs. Yuan could fail to recognize her own daughter, implying that Mrs. Yuan would not have accepted the situation so easily if the girl were an imposter.
In a hidden cave, a masked woman praised her master, confirming that Princess Shengning's death had successfully transferred the power to recommend officials to him. The man then activated a hidden mechanism, revealing a small opening in a coffin. He took a severed pinky finger from a box and placed it inside the coffin, from which several snakes then emerged. He commented that Princess Shengning had been surprisingly shrewd, guessing his intentions and writing a letter to Prince He.
He instructed the masked woman to find the letter, which Xiaoyu had hidden. The following morning, Mu Beiyan opened his door to find Yuan Qinhe asleep, having guarded him all night. He gently placed his cloak over her and leaned in to kiss her, but Yuan Qinhe suddenly awoke and pushed him away. She then left, carrying her cat. Jing Ci approached, holding some fish he had bought. Mu Beiyan took the fish, intending to feed the cat.
Yuan Qinhe explained that the cat was also Jing Ci's responsibility, as she would only keep it if he approved. Jing Ci denied giving his approval, but Yuan Qinhe asserted that his silence constituted consent. Mu Beiyan then fed the cat, but it collapsed and died after a few bites. Jing Ci tested the cat's saliva with a silver needle, which turned black, confirming the presence of poison.
Realizing the cat was crucial to the case, Jing Ci urgently pulled Yuan Qinhe away, instructing an officer to guard Mu Beiyan. Jing Ci then had Yuan Qinhe smell the fish guts, asking if the scent was similar to the foul odor she had detected on the door latch in Xiaoyu's room. He explained his deduction: Mu Beiyan and Xiaoyu's food had been drugged.
Mu Beiyan, already intoxicated, quickly succumbed to the drug, while Xiaoyu, though consuming less and remaining conscious, was rendered too weak to resist the killer who had entered her room. After killing Xiaoyu, the culprit meticulously set up an elaborate ruse to create the illusion of a locked room. Knowing Xiaoyu kept a cat, the killer tied fish guts to the door latch.
Once the killer left, the trained cat would jump to eat the fish guts, inadvertently pulling the latch and securing the door from the inside. Jing Ci also revealed that the killer had administered a slow-acting poison to the cat, ensuring its death several days later to prevent any future revelation of its trained behavior. He continued, asserting that Xiaoyu herself was an assassin, the same individual who had attacked him and whose build matched that of Zhi Ge's killer.
He believed Xiaoyu had snuck into Reverend Miaozhen's room to steal a critical letter related to Princess Shengning's death. Jing Ci speculated that Xiaoyu, acting on behalf of the mastermind behind Princess Shengning's murder, might have manipulated Zhi Ge. However, Xiaoyu was later silenced by the same mastermind, explaining why her pinky finger was removed, just like the other victims.
He emphasized the cunning methods of the shadowy perpetrators, who continually framed others—Jing Ci for the Princess's death, Zhi Ge as a convenient scapegoat, and Mu Beiyan for Xiaoyu's murder in a seemingly sealed room. Jing Ci concluded that Mu Beiyan could not be the killer because he was left-handed, while the fatal wound on Xiaoyu's neck was inflicted by a right hand.
Yuan Qinhe then suggested they revisit Floral House to inquire about the cat's true owner and the father of Xiaoyu's child, expressing her fearlessness with Jing Ci by her side. At Floral House, the procuress, Ling Gu, claimed Xiaoyu was from Suzhou and had been sold to her by her uncle that spring, and she never investigated Xiaoyu's background.
Ling Gu also stated she did not know who gifted Xiaoyu the black cat, only that Xiaoyu brought it back one day and was vague about its origin. She was genuinely shocked to learn of Xiaoyu's pregnancy, offering no further useful information. Jing Ci and Yuan Qinhe decided to go to a restaurant for a meal while continuing their investigation. There, Fu Manqing, another courtesan from Floral House, approached them, claiming to know Xiaoyu's killer.
She shared that Xiaoyu had always been submissive to her uncle's dictates, felt trapped, and yearned for a stable life for her future child. Fu Manqing recalled Xiaoyu giving her a pot of rouge and reciting a cryptic poem: "Jade is the secret forest. Obscure is the message. No barrier to the cold. No sill inside my door. I hope there will be a day when our wishes come true."
Fu Manqing then revealed that Xiaoyu had a secret lover, a Mr. Chen, who resided in Xialiang Village, and they frequently met in secret. She surmised that Xiaoyu, being pregnant with Chen's child, wished to elope with him, but Chen, unwilling to accept the child or marriage, killed her during an argument. Jing Ci immediately forbade Yuan Qinhe from going to Xialiang Village, cautioning her that Xiaoyu was no ordinary person, and her killer would certainly be a formidable opponent.
Yuan Qinhe, feeling undermined, defiantly rode off towards Xialiang Village, asserting her capability to handle any bandits. Jing Ci quickly pursued her, catching up on the road. He informed her that Xialiang Village, located in a neighboring county, had been completely overrun by bandits and the imperial court would soon dispatch troops to clear them out. He questioned whether Xiaoyu's lover would still be there and reprimanded Yuan Qinhe for her recklessness, reminding her to await his thorough investigation.
Yuan Qinhe asked if he was worried about her, but Jing Ci offered no reply. They both turned their horses and rode back to the government office. That night, Yuan Qinhe asked Jing Ci to keep her impulsive journey a secret, and he simply advised her to rest early. Separately, Xiao Han reported to Zuo Yanxi that Princess Shengning, Zhi Ge, and Xiaoyu had all been found with their pinky fingers removed.
She speculated that this might be related to the Emperor, given it was a Shadow Guardian custom to report to him using severed pinkies. Zuo Yanxi dismissed this theory, explaining that if the Emperor wished to eliminate a traitor, such as the previous Commander Cheng Zhirun, he would order Zuo Yanxi directly and handle it discreetly, without causing widespread commotion or involving Prince He's estate.
He asserted that the series of murders in Qinhe hinted at a vast conspiracy, and the individual behind Xiaoyu was far from simple. Concerned for Jing Ci, Zuo Yanxi ordered Xiao Han to return to the county office and covertly protect him. Back at the office, Yuan Qinhe wrote down the cryptic poem Xiaoyu had recited to Fu Manqing: "Jade is the secret forest. Obscure is the message. No barrier to the cold. No sill inside my door.
I hope there will be a day when our wishes come true." Jing Ci saw her writing and instantly understood the hidden meaning: "Secret message is inside." Both immediately realized Fu Manqing was in grave danger and rushed to Floral House. Meanwhile, Fu Manqing was looking at the pot of rouge Xiaoyu had given her, feeling a pang of sadness. A sudden gust of wind extinguished the lamps, startling her.
The rouge pot slipped from her hands, shattered on the floor, and revealed a hidden letter addressed to Prince He. A black-clad figure then appeared behind her, causing her to freeze in terror. Jing Ci and Yuan Qinhe arrived at Floral House, and Ling Gu led them to Fu Manqing's room. As they pushed open the door, they saw the black-clad figure crouching beside Fu Manqing. Upon seeing them, the figure swiftly leaped out the window.
Yuan Qinhe immediately gave chase, and Mu Beiyan, who had followed them to Floral House, joined the pursuit. Inside, Jing Ci urgently questioned the dying Fu Manqing about her attacker. She gasped, "It's not junior Lord He," and, with her last breath, pointed towards the direction the assailant had fled before dying. Yuan Qinhe lost sight of the black-clad figure during the chase, but Mu Beiyan intercepted him, recognizing him as Zuo Yanxi.
Mu Beiyan confronted Zuo Yanxi, questioning his actions. Yuan Qinhe soon arrived at the scene as well. Concurrently, the masked woman reported to her master that "everything is settled," confirming the retrieval of Xiaoyu's secret message. The master, expressing his contempt for Xiaoyu's betrayal over a child, instructed the masked woman to assume Xiaoyu's duties to safeguard their operations in Qinhe. Zuo Yanxi was brought back to the government office.
Yuan Qinhe directly accused him, stating that she, Jing Ci, and Mu Beiyan had witnessed him killing Fu Manqing and escaping through the window. However, both Jing Ci and Mu Beiyan believed Zuo Yanxi's denial. Zuo Yanxi explained that he had gone to Floral House to investigate Xiaoyu's case because Prince He, his adoptive father, was concerned about Mu Beiyan being framed. He claimed he arrived too late, found Fu Manqing already fatally stabbed, and the knife handle still warm.
Believing the killer was still nearby, he dropped the knife and pursued the assailant out the window, only to be mistaken for the murderer. Yuan Qinhe remained skeptical, then challenged Zuo Yanxi to reveal the whereabouts of the killer he claimed to be pursuing.
